My Favorite Soda
by xBlackxxHeartx
Summary: She had liked Soda for a long time, she knew him before Sandy did, and they had become best friends. But she was no Sandy. Sandy was without a doubt gorgeous. She was everything anyone would ever want. Did she really not realize she just gave up something perfect? Sodapop Curtis x OC [It started out as a one-shot, but I have decided to try and continue the story for a while xD]
1. America's Holiday and Sandy's Departure

**My writing is a little rusty, but enjoy~**

**Review?**

On the 4th of July, there was always something to do. Something to see, something to eat, a party or two going on, maybe even a parade. Well in this town, there might be a few grills going and small firework shows in the back yards of those who lived in this part of town, but that was about it for the East Side. The Soc's however, probably had about 30 parties going on, major cook outs, the whole shebang. In fact, they were all probably having a blast at the beach right now, throwing around their parents' money and spending it on the most lavish things for the big bash. On the other hand, kids of the East Side were having just as much fun, if not more at their own little get together.

The Curtis house had never been so full. Yeah, they threw occasional parties after victories over the Socs in rumbles, and maybe on someone's birthday, but the 4th of July really drew in people. The grill out back was going and beer cans littered the ground as Greasers from all over the East Side drank, laughed, and ate grilled hot dogs and burgers that were being served by the eldest Curtis boy.

The attendance at the party was about equal between genders and the greaser girls stuck to their men like glue; hanging on them and leaning on them no matter where they went. Even Dally had a girl, Veronica noted, as she waited in a small line to get a burger. This surprised her because, well, Dally always seemed so... mean and cold towards people. It was hard for her to grasp the reason for any girl to want to be with him, but hey, more power to them. They seemed happy together and that's all that mattered, right? Though she was really small compared to him, but that just made it more cute. If Dally ever heard that he'd probably put her through a wall without a second thought though, or at least he looked like the type to do it. Even if it were a girl.

Veronica was maybe the only one without someone to hold on to. Well, minus Ponyboy, Johnny, and Darry who didn't have anyone to hold onto _them._ It made her sad at times but nevertheless, she would not let it get to her today. She was going to have fun with her close friends and she was going to be happy. She _going_ to, until she spotted two people sitting on the back porch together, sharing a kiss. It was Soda and... Sandy. Veronica's heart immediately dropped. What was he doing with Sandy? Hadn't they had a fight yesterday? She had gone on and on to her about how she and Soda were over and how she was heart broken because she ended it with him. Were they back together again? Surely they weren't just swapping spit for no reason.

When the two lovers pulled away from the kiss and smiled at each other, Veronica's heart ached. She had liked Soda for a long time, she knew him before Sandy did, and they had become best friends. But she was no Sandy. Sandy was without a doubt gorgeous. A greaser girl with blonde hair and china blue eyes that just seemed to sparkle endlessly. No wonder Soda had fallen so hard for her. Sandy was everything that anybody could ever want. Without realizing it, Veronica had been caught staring and was being waved at by Soda who was smiling like he was the happiest person alive. His smile was beautiful, she noted. Everything about him was, but there was a certain strained essence to his smile this time. Veronica waved back a bit and turned to the grill to watch Darry serve the burgers up on plates for all those who were in line. She could feel a hard stare that was directed at her from behind, but didn't look back. She could already tell who the stare belonged to; it was Sandy. She was always possessive when it came to Soda, and Veronica could tell that she was jealous of their friendship. But that was ridiculous considering how much Soda loved and cherished her. And that was something that Veronica would never experience.

After all the food had been devoured by hungry greasers, the numbers started to dwindle. Pretty soon it was just the small gang of close friends that there normally was at the Curtis house. Two-Bit was already pretty well drunk when the party started and now he was passed out in a lawn chair while Kathy sat next to him and talked with Dally and his girlfriend. Veronica didn't see how Two-Bit could drink so often, but she didn't mind. He was almost the same even if he were sober, though, his jokes did get more corny as he drank more. Ponyboy and Johnny were picking up beer cans and paper plates that had been carelessly tossed on the lawn. And Soda, well, he wasn't here Veronica noticed. She glanced to the porch where he and Sandy had been sitting before but they were gone.

"Hey, Ronnie, could you get us a trash bag from the house?" Ponyboy asked as he piled up all the trash they had collected. Veronica nodded and headed for the house, kicking a beer can over to the pile as she went. She doesn't know when or how they had started calling her 'Ronnie' but she didn't mind. She felt more like part of the little gang of friends with a nickname and it gave her comfort.

When she made it into the house, she was immediately aware that there was someone else in this house. What was this sound? It sounded like... crying...? Who would be crying? She thought of Ponyboy, but he was outside. Without thinking she headed towards the sound, and found herself standing outside of Sodapop's and Ponyboy's room that they shared. The door was open just a little and what Ronnie saw inside surprised her; It was Soda. He was sitting on the bed, obviously crying. But why?

Soda had apparently sensed someone was there because he immediately looked up at the door. This startled Veronica and she backed up a bit. "Ronnie," Soda said, wiping his eyes quickly. "What are you doing."  
"A-ah." How could she say that she was spying on him while he was crying? There was no way without sounding weird. She opted to step inside the room, and sat down next to him on the bed as Soda stayed silent. "Soda... what's wrong...?"

Soda let out a shaky sigh and Ronnie waited for him to speak. After a few moments of silence, he did. "It's Sandy... she.. She's moving to Florida." he rubbed the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling. So this was what he was crying about. It just showed how much he loved her. "And she broke up with me so.."  
"Soda.. I'm sorry..." She knew that she sounded really stupid and generic, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She couldn't be happy about this, because she knew it only hurt Soda to end the relationship with Sandy and whenever Soda was hurt, she couldn't stand it.  
Soda glanced in her direction with a sad smile, "It's okay. Our relationship wasn't so great anyway. She wasn't the same person I had liked in the beginning.. and we kept getting into a lot of fights. If she hadn't ended it... I would've."

All Ronnie could do was glance down at the floor and wonder how Sandy could keep hurting Soda like this. She had made him depressed on various occasions every time her jealousy got out of control. But moving to Florida.. Did she really not realize she just gave up something perfect?

Soda must've noticed how she was acting because he poked her cheek playfully. "Now don't you get all down in the dumps too. One sad sack is enough." He sighed a bit and flopped back on the bed, obviously trying hard to act as though he were feeling normal. "What are the others doing outside?"  
"Cleaning up and getting the fireworks ready..." Oh yeah. She was supposed to bring them a trash bag! Ronnie got up. "Come outside and watch the fireworks... it'll make you feel better. We're all planning on drawing on Two-Bit's face, too."

Soda grinned and got up, "That's something I wouldn't miss." He followed her as she went to get the trash bags from the kitchen and as she strolled outside.

~x~x~x~

"Alright, here goes the first one!" Darry held a lighter in his hand as he set the first firework onto the cement walkway that led up to their house. It took him a few times to get the lighter to work, but soon he was lighting the wick on the firework.

Two-Bit must have woken up recently because he was cheering from his seat as Darry lit the screamer. Obviously no one was going to bother telling Two-Bit that he had some new additions to his face features which were all done in permanent marker. And Veronica couldn't help but laugh or grin whenever she looked at his face.

Darry stepped back after lighting the firework and watched with the others as the light show began. The tube was one of those that sent out sparks of golds and reds with a high pitched squeal. The sparks shot up towards the sky and came down in a shower of fading color and Ronnie watched as she sat next to Soda on the porch. "The sound always bothers me. It hurts my ears."

Soda glanced down at her and then hooked his arm around her neck playfully, squeezing his arm around her enough so that it caused to her to squirm. "I thought you were tougher than that."  
"I am! And you're strangling me, Soda." Ronnie pretended to be dying and Sodapop laughed, but didn't release her. Only loosened his arm around her neck, then moved it down so he was pulling her close by her shoulders. Ronnie couldn't say anything, she was too afraid to ruin this time with him and instead leaned into him. It was comforting to be held like this. Even if it were just a friendly gesture. It was all she needed for now.

As the others lit off more fireworks and cracked open more beers, the two just silently watched. Smiling and content with each others company. Finally, Soda spoke up. "Hey Ronnie?"  
Ronnie glanced up at his face, "Hm?"  
Soda grinned and ruffled her hair, "Happy 4th of July."


	2. A Call From Two-Bit

**So this started out as a one-shot, but someone had told me that it would make a nice story so I'll try to make more chapter~ :3**

Two-Bit is one of my most favorite characters so I decided I'd include him a lot. And again, my writing is a little rusty so just a little apology if it's not perfect. This particular chapter is a little slow because nothing happens between Soda and the OC, but I promise in the next one there will be lots of interaction between the two.

**Review~?**

_As the others lit off more fireworks and cracked open more beers, the two just silently watched. Smiling and content with each others company. Finally, Soda spoke up. "Hey Ronnie?"_

_Ronnie glanced up at his face, "Hm?"_

_Soda grinned and ruffled her hair, "Happy 4th of July."_

~x~x~x~

It had been a few days after Ronnie had been at the Curtis house celebrating the 4th of July with the others. It had been a few days, but all the feelings from that day lingered. The feeling of heartache when she saw Soda kissing Sandy, and the sadness she felt when she had found out that Sandy had just picked up and left, leaving Soda heartbroken and depressed. Sure, his mood had improved, but the hurt was still there and it wasn't going to disappear easily. Those feelings for Sandy were so strong, that it would likely take months for him to move on, even though he tried his best to move on now.

Just the thought of that made Ronnie's heart practically shatter. He loved Sandy. More than anything, maybe even more that Ponyboy or Darry, and he would do anything for her. Such love in a normal situation would've been heartwarming and beautiful, but not when that love was practically eating away ones heart. Soda's heart would be nothing by the time he had really moved on, and it would be difficult to piece it together once the damage had been done. The idea made Ronnie slightly angry. Angry at Sandy, angry at her parents, angry at herself; she couldn't do anything to really heal his heart to the extent it needed, and she had not acted on her feelings before Sandy.

If she had, maybe Soda wouldn't be hurting. Surely she would never get jealous, because she knows Soda isn't the kind of boy to have more than one girl in his sights. She couldn't get clingy, because she knows how Soda likes his space once in a while. She wouldn't fight with him, because she knew how many fights he already endured at home and how each one cut a deep, rough cut into his heart. She knew all these things, yet she never acted. She was too late, and when she had found out about him and Sandy, she felt... lonely. Like she had been dropped on an island with only herself to talk to now. The feeling was bittersweet when she saw the two together; on one hand, she was so happy to see Soda smiling like the happiest boy in the world. But on the other hand, she wanted to be the reason he looked that way.

Ronnie's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill of the telephone ringing downstairs. No one was home at the moment except for herself, so she quickly got up from her bed and padded the hall and headed down the stairs. Reaching the living room, she picked up the telephone. "Hello?"

"Hey there, girlie! Still in bed at this time?" It was Two-Bit. Ronnie could practically hear him smirking through the phone. She smiled a little.

"Hey Two-Bit... No, I was awake. I bet you slept until noon again today though." Two-Bit always slept late. He drank constantly and slept for hours to get rid of annoying hangovers that occasionally came along.

"Nope. I woke up at eleven thirty." _What's the difference?_

"That's still really close to noon. Anyway, is there any reason that you're calling, or were you just calling to tell me another joke you came up with?"

"Both, actually. What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?"

Ronnie rolled her eyes and braced herself for a corny punch line, "I don't know, Two-Bit. What?"

"If you have bird flu, you need tweetment. If you have swine flu, you need oink-ment."

"... Heh." Ronnie ended up smiling and letting out a chuckle as Two-Bit howled with laughter like he always did when telling a bad joke. "Did you actually come up with that?"

"Actually, I just read it on the back of a candy bar wrapper. But it was still funny. Anyway, have you talked to Soda lately?"

Ronnie blinked. This was a completely out of the blue question. "Well... maybe once.. but I haven't seen him at all really since we had that party."

"Do you think you could go talk to him? He's really down in the dumps about that broad and he needs some cheerin' up." Ronnie guessed who Two-Bit referred to as 'that broad' was Sandy. He never really thought Sandy and Soda had fit together as a couple, and his opinion of her had worsened since he found out. "Besides, the cheerin' up he needs is not the kind us guys can give."

There was a hint of mockery in his voice and his tone screamed 'dirty'. Ronnie could tell he was smirking even more and her cheeks immediately turned a shade of red when she had caught on. "... Two-Bit you are just the most-"

"Handsome guy? I know."

"I was going to say, dirty-minded and greasy." she sighed. "But, I'll go talk to him I guess..."

"That a girl. He's at the DX so just head on over there. Oh, and, don't do anything in the garage because that's just not classy-"

"Good bye, Two-Bit." Ronnie slammed the receiver down and ended the call. "... agh. That guy." Couldn't Two-Bit be a little more... clean? Did he always have to make her embarrassed with his dirty comments? Ronnie was surprised Kathy could stand the way he talked to her sometimes. But then again, not everyone is as jealous as Sandy.

Sandy. The name made Ronnie's mouth taste disgusting, like just thinking about her name was enough to make her sick. She forced all thoughts about that girl out of her mind as she went back upstairs to change, she was going to have to do some serious work on her friend to cheer him up. What would help?

"Hm... Ah. I know."

Chocolate cake.


	3. The Deal

**This is the next chapter~  
****Hopefully I can make the future installments longer than just over a thousand words, otherwise to me it seems rushed. Sorry v.v I know it probably seems that way to most readers as well.**

**Thank you to everyone who liked this so far~! It makes me want to write more, and write I shall. As long as people want to read.**

**I've also noticed that I have to change the title since this just started as a one-shot v.v **

**Anyway, enjoy~**

**Review~?**

As Ronnie walked the street leading toward the DX, she thought about what she could say to Soda for the unexpected visit. Should she tell him the truth? That she was worried about him and that she just wanted to help heal his heart faster? Or that she was just in the neighborhood with a... bag of snacks. Let's just say the latter wasn't even going to be considered; it was obviously going to be seen as a lie.

She sighed as she listened to the bag at her side rustle from brushing against her leg. She had made all of Soda's favorites today, and at the bottom, was a delicious slice of chocolate cake in a little container just waiting to be consumed. Soda would love it, she was sure of it.

~x~x~x~

"Hey Steve, is Soda here?" Ronnie asked as she walked into the gas station. Usually it was Steve handling the costumers inside, so she didn't even think before addressing the person behind the counter as Steve. But upon actually looking at the boy with his back to her, she realized it wasn't Steve; it was Soda.

Soda grinned as he turned around, "Yep, he sure is." That grin. It was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Soda himself. "What did you need, Ronnie?"

"...Ah." she quickly gathered her thoughts and held up the bag. "These are for you. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Soda's smile faltered and he looked confused, "No, why? Is there food in there?"

"Mm'hm, I thought you might be hungry..." _I thought you might need some cheering up..._

Soda smiled again, this time wider. "Thanks, Ronnie! You sure do know how to make a guy happy." _It's just you actually..._

Ronnie smiled a tiny smile and put the bag on the counter for him. She watched as he took some things out of the bag and opened the containers. "Some of that will probably need to be eaten now... it wont survive without a fridge."

"Got it. It won't need a fridge though, I'm pretty hungry," he said with a mouthful of food, making Ronnie smile more. _He's even cute when he's being a pig.. _There was an awkward silence while he ate and Ronnie glanced around, playing with her hair and shuffling her feet a bit. If only she knew how cute Soda thought she looked at the moment. She might have died if she had.

"..."

Finally, Soda spoke up after taking a long drink of his Pepsi. "Hey, Ronnie? Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

_Is he.. no... he couldn't be... _"Uh.. no. I don't think so, why?"

Soda leaned over the counter, bringing their faces together. "Do you want to go to the fair with me and the guys? It'll be fun, you have to come." _Oh... the fair. I forgot about that..._

Every year after the 4th of July there was a fair. Though it was small, it was still a fair. Full of screaming children, and food stands, and animal exhibits. Ronnie loved to go see the animals, even if it didn't exactly smell the best in those barns and once she even got to hold a baby goat. She remembered how it bleeped and wouldn't leave her alone once she had put it down. Like she was it's new friend, and they were going stay friends for a long time. She also remembered, that at the fair, was when Soda and Sandy had confessed their feeling and started dating. Ronnie just got to cuddle a goat.

"... Yeah, I'll go. What time will it be?" She leaned on the counter with her hands propped up under her chin. Soda grinned when she did.

"We'll be leaving real early so we can hit all the rides. Are you up for it still? I know how you can get sick easily." He sounded as if he were making fun of her. He _was _making fun of her. Last year she had ridden too many rides that spun and spent half of her time in the bathroom, throwing up her fair food.

"... are you making fun of me."

"Nope," he shook his head while letting out a quiet chuckle. "I'm not." _Sure._

"I think you are. I'm not always sick. I can actually ride more rides than you can and not throw up." _... shit. _That was a lie. Ronnie actually had a very sensitive stomach, and she couldn't handle more than five rides every hour.

"Oh? Then how about we make a bet out of it. If you ride more rides than me tomorrow, you'll need to give me something. And if you win, I'll have to give you something. Or are you just a little liar~?"

"... What would I have to give you if I lost?" Ronnie asked, not so sure she should actually take part in this bet.

"Hm.. I don't know. Something special. I'll just have to think long and hard about what I want."

"You don't even know if you're going to get it!"

"Trust me, I know. Because I know you, and I know that if you ride more than four, you'll be in the bathroom for an hour." Could he really know that? Had he been counting last year? Of course he wasn't; he was with Sandy at the time. "By the way, the little kiddy boats and the ladybugs don't count as rides."

"... you're just trying to make this hard for me, aren't you?" she pouted a little. If only she knew that Soda loved her pout.

Soda came around the counter and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Not at all. I'm just makin' sure you can't cheat, that's all~ So. Is it a deal?" He held out a hand for her to shake.

"... It's a deal."


	4. No Going Back

**The next chapter~ Thank you to all those that have read my story and gave me such kind feedback :3 **

**Review~?**

"Ugh... my stomach..."

"Hm~? Did you say somethin', Ronnie?" Soda peered down at her expectantly. The look on his face was far from concerned over the fact that she was about to puke on the spot, but more like he was waiting for her to say 'I've had enough, you win'. Well, she wasn't going to give in so easily.

"... No... what one are we going on next?" _I'm gonna hurl... Please pick a slow ride... Please pick a slow-_

"I was thinking we could go on the Fireball..." _Ugh... God help me..._

~X~X~X~X~

What was Ronnie thinking, making a deal that she knew she would lose in the end. And now her poor stomach was suffering the abuse of being flipped, twirled, spun, and dropped. Couldn't they make more 'Ronnie-paced rides'? Apparently not. It seems all the slow rides from last year had disappeared and were replaced with the new and improved ones, designed for thrill rather than relaxation and enjoyment. At least the kiddy cars and ladybugs still stuck around, but Ronnie remembered that according to Soda, those aren't rides. Ronnie looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't even look phased! How is it that this boy never got sick here? Ronnie huffed silently, and looked around as they waited in line, and yet, she couldn't look up at the Fireball. That would just make things worse for herself; she was already a nervous wreck about going on it.

The Fireball was one of those thrill rides that they had just gotten, it was nauseating to look at. Not to mention it was one of the biggest rides in the area, minus the Ferris Wheel of course. Soda had been gawking at the ride since they arrived at the fairgrounds, and Ronnie knew that eventually, she would have to endure it with him. The ride itself was a huge steel, circular track on which a little cart would rock back and forth until it was making complete loops around the entire structure. It may sound fun to anyone, but to Ronnie, it sounded like spending an hour in the bathroom hunched over the toilet. Couldn't Soda let up a bit? Didn't he ever take breaks?

"Come on, Ronnie. We're next." Soda, who had watched Ronnie squirm out of the corner of his eye, smiled a little. "Unless you're too chicken to come with me." Oh, he knew just how to push her buttons. It was how he always got her to do what he wanted, and now, what he wanted, was to get her on that ride with him.

"... I'm not chicken. I'm standing in line with you aren't I?" Ronnie glared up at him. He was doing this on purpose, she knew it. He was poking fun at her so she would want to prove him wrong. Well, she was going to do just that. She marched right up those steps to the cart and slid into the seat. "Hurry up and get in."

Soda just shook his head and chuckled as he made his way up the steps and slid in next to her. The bar was lowered over their laps and they were strapped in by the ride operator. "There's no going back now, Ronnie~" Soda placed one of his hands over Ronnie's that was gripping the bar.

There was indeed no going back.

~X~X~X~X~

"Hey, Ronnie. Where's Sodapop? I thought he was with you..." That voice. It was Ponyboy. He plopped down on the bench that Ronnie had sat on for about ten minutes now. Ronnie stopped fanning herself and looked over at the fouteen year old boy. He really did look a lot like Soda... It was cute.

"He's in the bathroom... he got sick after riding that." She pointed towards the 'ring of death' as she liked to call it now. Poor Soda. The Fireball was too much for him, and as soon as he was unstrapped he had bolted for the nearest bathroom. Ronnie, however, enjoyed the feeling that the ride gave her which surprised her.

Ponyboy blinked. "Really? He never throws up... That must be one wicked ride..."

"It was pretty wild. Where are the others?" she hadn't really seen much of the gang since she got here and her and Soda went off on their own to carry out their little bet.

"Ah, Two-Bit took Kathy home because she got sick after riding the Tornado. Steve is somewhere around here and Darry went with Johnny to get us something to eat. Are you hungry?"

The thought of food made Ronnie's stomach twist. "Not at all. I think if I ate something, it would be me in the bathroom next." Ha. She still couldn't get over the fact that Soda was the one hunched over a toilet this time. But still, she was worried about him.

"Well, alright. But if you get hungry, come find us." Ponyboy got up and stretched. Ronnie nodded and watched as he disappeared into the crowd of people who were gathered at the food stands. Pony sure was a looker. Even if he were younger, Ronnie might have gone for him. But she was too stuck on Soda to even consider it at any other time.

Just as Ronnie's thoughts traveled back to Soda, he emerged from the bathroom looking as pale as a sheet. His forehead was covered with beads of sweat and loose strands of hair stuck to his skin. Ronnie immediately got up and went over. "Soda, are you okay? You're pale..."

"Ugh... Yeah, I'm alright. I just need to sit down for a bit." Ronnie nodded and took him arm and brought him over to where she had sat. She sat him down on the bench that was in the shade, then seated herself next to him. He looked so sick, it made Ronnie even more worried.

"Do you want some water?" Soda nodded. "Alright, I'll be right back." Ronnie hopped up, and quickly jogged over to one of the food stands to buy a bottle of water.

About 5 minutes later she returned to the bench with two bottles of water and seated herself next to Soda again. "Here," she unscrewed the top and handed the bottle to Soda. He quickly drank about half of the bottle and pulled it away from his lips.

"My mouth tastes awful..." Well, at least he didn't look as sick. But he was still fighting the urge to throw up. He took another swig of the water and screwed the cap back on and looked over at her. "I want to lay down for a bit..."

Ronnie nodded and then started to get up so he could stretch out on the bench but he caught her by her wrist. "No, stay where you were. Like this." He sat her back down and rested his head on her thighs. Ronnie blinked. Soda was... using her lap as a pillow. This probably had no significance to Soda, but to Ronnie it was something that couples did. She tried pushing that thought away, because she knew they weren't even close to being a couple.

"Hey, bud, you have to pay to use my lap pillow." Ronnie said while poking his cheek.

Soda smiled and closed his eyes. "Consider it a loan for now. I'll pay you back later." He was so cute. Ronnie didn't even realize she had started to run her fingers through his hair. On the days like today when he didn't slick it back, it was really soft. She couldn't help herself. Soda seemed to like it because he relaxed even more and sighed contentedly, "It's pretty hot out here.."

"Yeah... it is." Even though they were still in a shaded area, it still stayed very warm. Ronnie dug around in her bag with her other hand and pulled out the little fan she had bought earlier. It was one of those that only required two batteries and you could take anywhere. Soda had made fun of her for buying it, but now that she held it above his face to cool him off, he didn't think it was very stupid at all.

"I guess that did come in handy." Soda smiled a bit, making Ronnie smile as well.

"See, I'm right sometimes."

He gave her that one, "Sometimes."


	5. No If's, And's, or But's

**Here's the next chapter~  
****Thank you for all the kind reviews :3 Seeing them makes me want to write more of this story. **

**Review~?**

"You promised." Ronnie pouted. How could Soda go back on that bet? She had won fair and square.

"I didn't say a thing. Besides, next time we make a deal, get it in writing~"

"That makes you a liar, you know. You said that if I won, I'd get anything that I wanted."

"Did I say that? Steve, did you hear me say that?" Soda glanced over at Steve who was cleaning off a greasy car part with a rag.

Steve looked over. "I didn't hear a thing."

"He wasn't even in the room. Don't ask him!" Ronnie huffed while Soda grinned. She should have known better than to make a deal with him. "I brought you home after you puked and bought you water. I even let you use my lap as a pillow-"

"Whoa there. You did what now?" Steve looked over at Soda and grinned while punching him in the shoulder playfully. "Nice going, Pepsi-Cola~"

Ronnie threw her hands up in the air angrily. "What's that supposed to mean!"

"Not a thing, Ronnie~ Not a thing."

~x~x~x~

"Pony. Hey, Ponyboy. Wake up." Ronnie shook Pony's shoulder but the fourteen year old still continued to sleep while leaning on her shoulder. _Ugh. He's drooling... _Ronnie looked around as the movie house began to empty out since the film had ended. She thought it would be nice to sit and watch a movie with Ponyboy, but he had slept through nearly half of it. The least he could do would be to stay awake. It was his idea to come here after all.

Maybe Ronnie just felt more irritated because a certain 16-year-old boy had lied to her in order to get her to ride nearly every ride that there had been at the fair. Maybe she felt irritated because she didn't get to make him her slave for at least a day. Maybe she felt irritated because her fantasies were ruined- ahem, I mean, plans. Her _plans _were ruined. Nevertheless, she was annoyed.

Ronnie looked back down when she felt the boy next to her shift. "Pony, wake up. The movie's over." She shook him a little more, making Ponyboy groan and open his eyes. He looked so cute when he was groggy.

"I fell asleep...? When...?" he looked around, obviously confused about why there was no one but them left in the room.

"About halfway through the movie. Come on, they gotta come in and clean." Ronnie stood and tugged Pony up with her. Together, they left the movie house.

~x~x~x~

"So Soda was just kidding about the bet? I thought he was serious. He seemed like it at home anyway. Wouldn't stop talking about all the things he was going to." _What were those things? _Now Ronnie was really interested. What did Soda have in mind if he _had_ won.

"Oh? What did he say he would do?"

Ponyboy just shrugged and looked away. He obviously wasn't going to say anything more about it. Ronnie huffed a bit. "Aren't you going to tell me?"

"It wasn't anything special... He didn't have the best ideas."

"Oh..." _That's not much information... _Actually that was _no _information. But even so, Ronnie wouldn't force Pony to say anything. As they walked along, she noticed that Pony was acting somewhat awkward. But then again, most teenage boys are awkward right? He had his hands shoved in his pockets and he just looked down at his feet. Like he was thinking really hard about something, or like he was trying to avoid conversation.

"... Hey, Ronnie?"

Ronnie tilted her head. "Hm? What?"

"Do you like Sodapop?"

"..." _E-eeh? _Why was he asking a question like this. Right now? Did it have to be now? Did it have to be Ponyboy, the cute little greaser, asking her about her feelings? Well, it's not like Ronnie had any girlfriends. So you wouldn't get this kind of talk from anyone else.

Ponyboy looked up from the ground and over to her, waiting for an answer. Ronnie finally found her voice and tried to answer with the most even voice she could manage now. "W-well..." Damn it. She already failed. "Y-yeah. We're friends so of course I like him."

"But you like him more than that don't you?" It wasn't a question. He knew. He was just trying to get her to admit it.

"... why do you want to know so bad..." Ronnie knew that what she had just said basically confirmed whatever thoughts Pony had about her feelings towards Soda. But it would've been inevitable to hide it anyway.

"Because I think it would be nice if you two dated... He's been sad since, well, since Sandy left. And he needs something to take his mind off of that. You two are good together. And he's known you for a long time so... would you think about it?"

"... sure, Ponyboy. I'll think about it."

Ponyboy smiled a bit and bumped his shoulder against hers. "Good. Soda's always happy when he's with you. More happy than we can ever make him by ourselves. You're happy with him too, right?"

Ronnie nodded. She was happy with him, just like she had always been. Even when he had dropped out of school, they stayed extremely close. Even when Soda had to work, Ronnie would sit there in the garage and watch him work on cars or inside when it was his turn to work the counter. They'd sneak into movies with the others or practice doing handstand in the yard. One time Soda had even got arrested for doing those hand stands on a sidewalk in public. All the memories that were her happiest, included Sodapop in some way.

"You know," Pony said. "I could always get Sodapop to keep his end of the bargain."

Ronnie looked up at him. "Oh?"

~x~x~x~

"Soda should be home soon..." Pony said while flipping the channels on the little tv that sat in the corner of the room. Ronnie looked at a the clock. She hadn't expected time to fly by so fast. Had she really been sitting on this couch for two hours? Interesting.

Earlier, Ponyboy had called up Darry at work and told him about the bet that Soda had made with Ronnie. Sure enough, Darry agreed make Soda keep his promise as soon as he got home. Ronnie wondered why she hadn't thought of this before. As if on cue, the rumble of Darry's truck could be heard as it turned into their driveway. Ronnie turned her head a bit to the window and watched as he and Soda hopped out.

"It was just a play bet, Darry. I was kidding when I said that..." Soda was using that whiny voice of his. And that pout. It was adorable.

"I don't care, a deal is a deal." Darry opened the door and stepped inside the house, Soda was right behind him.

Soda looked down at Ronnie. "So you got some muscle to help, huh? Fine. I'll let you pick something that I have to give you. What do you want~? A kiss~?"

"... N-no." Ronnie's face heated up. Even though he was kidding, it still made her mind wander to things that were not PG-13 rated. "Nothing like that..."

"Then what~?"

Ronnie got up from her seat and poked his chest. "You're going to be my servant for the rest of this summer. You will do everything that I ask. No if's, and's, or but's."

"..."


	6. Last Night of Servitude

**AGH! I AM SO SORRY. I was just not able to think of things to write, or ways to write the things I did figure out. But I have written two new chapters to make up for my absence. Can you forgive me~? :3**

**Anyway, I am so thankful to all the reviews you have been giving me~ It makes me happy that people like reading the crappy things I write~ Enjoy this next chapter. AND I'M SORRY IF THERE ARE ERRORS OR IT JUST SUCKS BECAUSE I'M WRITING THIS AT 2 IN THE MORNING. I'll rewrite it if I need to~**

**Review~?**

There were two things that Ronnie was absolutely certain of. The first, was that these boys never paid for their movies. The second? Ronnie was _not _good at sneaking into them. She had never snuck, crept, crawled, or weaseled her way into anything. Yet here she was, waiting for the male group in front of her to slip under the fence in a hole that had obviously never been taken care of yet. The reason was one that Ronnie wanted to know. If they bitched- pardon the language- about people getting in without paying, why didn't anyone bother to repair it? Cheapskates.

"Earth to Ronnie. Come on before someone spots us." It was Soda who was talking. He nudged her forward and urged her to crawl under the fence.

"... Soda, if I end up getting in trouble because of this-"

"Oh, you're not gonna. Not if you hurry and get in there _now. _Before we actually do get caught."

Ronnie huffed and got down on her knees. "... Are you sure- agh!" Soda who had become impatient, got down and pushed Ronnie through the hole in the fence before quickly sliding in himself.

"See, that was easy. And no one noticed. You're safe for now~"

"... If I go to jail for this, I am taking you with me."

~x~x~x~x~

Earlier she had told Soda she wanted to see a movie with him. _Him. _Not Two-Bit, not Ponyboy, not Darry. No one else. Just. Him. She had planned to take advantage of her last day having Soda as her servant, but now thanks to extra company, she couldn't. Yes, today was the last day of owning Soda and tomorrow school for her and Ponyboy would start. She wondered why she had waited so long to take advantage of this, but to be honest, she was too shy and embarrassed to try anything on Soda.

Sure, there were other reasons too. Soda obviously was not moving on from Sandy, that was the main one. He sent her letter after letter trying to get an explanation about why she left and telling her that he still loved her. That he wished she would come back and be with him again. When Ronnie had found them, just laying on their kitchen table, she couldn't help but read every word. Afterwards, she had felt so terrible. Like her heart had been torn out and thrown into a mess of barbed wire. She knew then that she was nothing more than a friend to Soda. All those fun and happy, and even sweet moments, had been just friendly ones to him.

As the movie played, Ronnie barely registered any of it. All she saw was occasional flickers of color and figures moving across the screen. Sure, she had come to watch the movie, but her feelings about Sandy's and Soda's relationship came back to slap her in the face. Why couldn't Soda love and care for her as much as he had with Sandy...

"Ronnie?" Soda had obviously noticed something was wrong by the way she was acting. Ronnie looked over when he said her name, pulled back from her thoughts. "Are you feeling okay? You look tired..." _Tired, sad, heartbroken, all the above._

"Nah, I'm fine... I just haven't been feeling good today.." _I feel like I'm having my chest kicked in..._

"You mean you're sick? Maybe you should go home and sleep... You and Ponyboy have school tomorrow, don't you?" Ronnie could only nod in response. Obviously, tonight, was not going to be the night she would win Soda's heart. That day would probably be never. The best thing to do would be to leave and call it a night.

"I think so too," Ronnie stood up. "I'm going to go then, I'll see you tomorrow Ponyboy..." she waved and headed for the entrance while Soda turned to the others to get the 'go ahead' gesture.

He immediately got up and went after her. "I'll come with you. It's dark; you shouldn't walk home alone at night."

Ronnie blinked and looked up at him, then smiled a bit. "Don't you think that I could handle myself?"

Soda laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I know you can. But I don't want anything to happen to you, so I'm going to come just this once, kay?"

Ronnie nodded and hesitantly leaned into his side, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Okay."

~x~x~x~x~

Normally, quiet walks alone are quite nice and peaceful. You're mind is able to gather thoughts and you can reflect back on the day, whether it be good or bad. Happy or depressing. But when you're with another person, it's very hard to do that. Especially when the person next to you has their arm around your shoulders and is as handsome as a movie star. Honestly, how were these Curtis boys so good-looking? They must've got it from their parents.

Ronnie glanced up at Soda from the corner of her eye. Jeez, he was gorgeous even in the dark. Light from the moon and streetlights made for perfect shadows to contour his face and his feather-like eyelashes rested on his high cheekbones when he occasionally let his eyes close. He was a beautiful human specimen indeed...

"Ronnie, are you going to keep walking all night or do you want to go inside and sleep?"

"... eh? What are you talking about?"

".. this _is _your house, ain't it?" He pointed to the house they were stopped in front of. Oh.. it _was _her house. And she nearly kept right on walking. Whoops.

"... Yeah. I wasn't paying attention." She felt her face heat up.

Soda laughed and let his arm drop so she could go to her house. "See you later, Ronnie."

"Ah, wait. Do you.. want to come inside for a bit? You can sit in nice cool air conditioning for a little while before leaving~" Ronnie tugged on his hand, bringing him in.

Soda grinned. "Okay, just for a bit. I have to go to work tomorrow, you know."

"I know, I know. And I have school tomorrow.." Ugh. Why was she feeling nervous again? Was is because Sodapop would be in her house? With her and no one else around? ... that was definitely the reason.


	7. It Hurts Like Hell

**Grab your tissues please. I'm totally kidding. It's not that sad~ Here's the next chapter, and I hope that it's okay. I wrote this really fast at like 4 in the morning. SO IF IT SUCKS I will rewrite it~ :3 Sorry for not updating in so long.**

**Review~?**

Once they got into the house, Soda and Ronnie both sighed in relief. They were relieved to be out of the heat. Even at night, it was still very hot here. Ronnie tried flipping on the light, but as soon as she found the switch, she realized that it was already flipped up. Oh yeah, wasn't she supposed to replace that bulb? Whoops. "Aw, crap."

"What's wrong? Does your light not work?"

"No, the bulb burnt out."

"Don't tell me you're scared of the dark~" He playfully brushed his fingers up her back.

"Psh. No. Only after I watch scary movies..." She shivered at the feeling his fingers gave her. "Quit that, it feels like a spider is crawling on my back." Soda chuckled a bit and pulled his hands back.

"Well, is there another light around here?"

"There probably is but I'm too lazy to find it. We'll just stand here for a while."

Soda grinned. "Okay."

"..."

The mood had changed to something other than happy... was it... awkwardness? Probably. Ronnie couldn't hear anything but her own breathing and Soda's as well. Something about it made her think back to those letters. Made her think back to when Soda and Sandy were together. Had they ever been in a dark room like this together? Where all they could hear was each other's breathing? Had they ever... no. Not that. They couldn't have ever done _that_. Ronnie forced herself not to even imagine Soda and Sandy together in bed. That would be all that it would take to make Ronnie more depressed than anything. But the thought gave her resolve a push in the right direction. Regardless of what he and Sandy had done (or hopefully had not done) she would try her best to help Soda see how she felt about him.

".. Soda?" Oh crap. Was her resolve already weakening? Maybe.

"Hm? What? Scared yet~?"

"You're still my servant you know. For about another hour..."

Soda sighed and chuckled. "I suppose I am. What do you want now? A back rub?" He was obviously teasing but that did sound nice.

"... no..." she moved in front of him and looks up at his face. "I want you to... kiss me... please..." Her voice had dropped to a whisper at the last part.

"..." Soda blinked but didn't say anything.

"... please..." Ronnie repeated, while moving closer to him and placing her hands on his chest.

Soda tensed just a little, but moved his hand up to her face to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "Really..?" Ronnie nodded almost immediately.

Slowly, Soda started to move. Lightly cupping her cheeks with his warm hands, he moved his face down closer to hers until he could feel her breath against his lips. Ronnie responded by letting her eyes close and lightly gripping his shirt when his lips brushed against hers for the first time. When their lips pressed together in a firm kiss, Ronnie's mind immediately went blank of all thoughts and feelings except for the ones she was experiencing now. His lips moving against hers, her hands gripping his shirt and their body's pressing against each other. Ronnie would give anything just to stay like this for the rest of her life. But suddenly, his hands were gone and his lips were no longer against hers. He had moved a good five feet back already.

"I'm sorry... I can't..."

Ronnie blinked and felt her heart drop, was he rejecting her? What had she done? "Soda, what do you mean you can't-"

"It's too early for this. I'm sorry. It's just not fair to you right now..." He headed for the door, Ronnie didn't even move to stop him. "I need to go, I have work tomorrow..." He looked back at her. She just looked so hurt. If only she knew how much it hurt to see her like that. Then she would understand his feelings. Soda was unable to say anything more right now. He knew he'd just make it worse by staying longer, so he left and shut the door behind him.

Ronnie didn't know why all this just happened. It was all so perfect but... She had known before she had made him kiss her. He still loved Sandy. And he wasn't ready to move on yet. Ronnie tried to choke back her tears but it was too late. Her cheeks were already wet.

So this was what rejection felt like by the one you love. It hurt like hell.

**If you want to laugh your ass off, then copy and paste this chapter, go to google and type in "gizoogle". Then click on the "textilizer" page and paste this in. I could not stop laughing. Just. Oh my god. It's so hilarious. Just thought I should let you know~ :3 You can do it with all chapters if you want because it's very funny.**


	8. Absentee

**_AH~ I finally got it done. This is the part 1 added in with the other part I had been writing. You can think of the other part as a.. teaser? Sure :3 Oh and if you didn't read the other little 500 word chapter I posted then TA-DA! You get a whole chapter. Congratulations._**

**_I noticed my writing took a dive. I'm sorry -.- How did I get into an advanced writing course? I don't know. _**

**_But anyway, enjoy this~ THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP NEXT SATURDAY. Oh and happy back to school~ (Pfft, yeah right. Feel free to slap me :D)_**

**_Review?_**

_Slowly, Soda started to move. Lightly cupping her cheeks with his warm hands, he moved his face down closer to hers until he could feel her breath against his lips. Ronnie responded by letting her eyes close and lightly gripping his shirt when his lips brushed against hers for the first time. When their lips pressed together in a firm kiss, Ronnie's mind immediately went blank of all thoughts and feelings except for the ones she was experiencing now. His lips moving against hers, her hands gripping his shirt and their body's pressing against each other. Ronnie would give anything just to stay like this for the rest of her life. But suddenly, his hands were gone and his lips were no longer against hers. He had moved a good five feet back already._

_"I'm sorry... I can't..."_

~X~X~X~X~

_[SODAPOP'S POV]_

I didn't know what had just happened. One second I was kissing Ronnie in her house and the next thing I know, I'm sitting here in the park just a few blocks from where I live. I didn't understand why I had come here, why I hadn't just gone home. I didn't understand why I had pulled away from her when I did. I just don't understand a lot of things right now. It's not like I wasn't enjoying myself, oh no, I was, believe me. My heart had never started beating so fast in my life... Not with anybody. Ronnie's a special girl. She doesn't deserve me; a boy hung up on his last girlfriend, unable to move on and be happy with someone else. It's not fair to her.

_I've already messed up anyway... _

Ronnie _never_ cried. Not around me, not around the guys. I would've never known she could cry if I hadn't seen it just a few minutes ago, and I wish I hadn't seen it. That look on her face... broke my heart. I messed up real bad, I know that much...

_She'll never speak to me again..._

I've tried for the past five minutes to convince myself that it's a good thing. She'll find a better guy and be happy with him, instead of a high-school-dropout-greaser like me. I can't even kiss her without thinking of Sandy and feeling wrong about the whole thing. I need to move on, I know. It's hard though. It'd be like trying to take away Ponyboy's cigarettes; you couldn't do it easily.

_Maybe I could ask Ponyboy to talk to Ronnie tomorrow at school. I doubt she'd want to hear anything from me... Yeah, that's what I'll do. She'll at least know that I'm sorry. _

I let out a sigh before getting off the swing, then headed for my house.

~X~X~X~X~

"Come on Pony, please? Just this once. I won't ask you to do anything else."

Pony sighed. "I don't understand why you can't talk to her yourself. You're the one she _wants _to hear it from. Not me."

"I'll talk to her after you tell me what she said, okay?"

"... fine..."

_[RONNIE'S POV]_

I don't know how long I stood there for even after the door closed. After he had made it down the street and disappeared down another. Minutes? Hours? It didn't really matter all that much to me but it felt like an eternity. Ugh, gross. I'm crying... I quickly wiped my tears but more came. I could tell whatever makeup was on my eyes was all over now, probably smeared and looking more like war paint than makeup.

Eventually I just collapsed onto the couch and curled up, sniffling and letting out a ragged breath when I couldn't hold back a sob. My chest felt like it had been cut open by a rusty kitchen knife, my heart felt like it had been dipped in acid. Why did this hurt so much? What had I done wrong?_ Why couldn't he be happy with me? _

_Why..._

[NARRATOR'S POINT OF VIEW]

The sound of the first warning bell echoed through the halls as students scrambled to grab books from their lockers, fight their way through the crowds of people and fix up their appearance for the first day of school. Pony didn't see why girls stuck mirrors in their lockers. Or brought makeup and perfume with them to school. It just blocked other kids from getting to their lockers or classes when they'd all huddle around a locker for what seemed like an hour just to make sure not one single little hair got out-of-place. And the perfume made the hallways _stink._

He passed by one group just as they sprayed some and nearly gagged. It was like lilac with a dash of dead squirrel. Couldn't they at least get something that smelled _good_? Pony sighed and slipped into his English class. He had promised Sodapop last night that he would talk to Ronnie for him, but he hadn't been able to catch her at her locker so he opted to wait till English class to talk to her since they were both in the same advanced course. All of Ronnie's advice and tutoring had helped him where he was struggling most and Darry nearly had a heart attack when he found out Ponyboy Curtis, his brother, was in an advanced placement class.

However, when Pony looked around, he didn't even see Ronnie. Maybe she was in the bathroom? Or maybe she was just running late like she always was. That girl got sick every week, and woke up late almost every day. It wasn't a surprise to Pony when he didn't see her, but it wasn't like her to miss the _first _day of school...

~X~X~X~X~

There was one thing Ronnie wanted; and that was sleep. Alright, maybe there were two things but as she recalled, that other 'thing' had pushed her away last night and left her crying in the dark. She couldn't really care about getting up right now, and she was in no way ready to go to school and face the day, she felt like shit. She probably _looked_ like shit to top it off.

Sitting up, she ran her fingers through her hair. It was all matted and tangled near her face from being drenched in tears. Ronnie had never cried that hard before, and she hoped she never would have to ever again; it had made her head hurt. Slowly and sluggishly, she pushed the blanket off of her and padded into the bathroom.

"... ugh..." She had been right about looking like shit. But right now, shit probably looked better than her. Grabbing a washcloth, she began to clean off her face and successfully scrubbing her eyelids clean. She definitely couldn't go to school looking like this. The teachers wouldn't care about how she looked, but she had to admit. They might think she looked suicidal.

School would just have to wait until tomorrow...

~X~X~X~X~

Pony had tried to find Ronnie all day, he even waited by her locker and was late to quite a few classes. Of course, it was the first day of school so the teachers were lenient on things like that, but still. She hadn't come to school today. It made him worry. Of course he would stop by her house to check if she was there, but he figured that if her not coming to school had to do with Soda, then he should probably leave her alone. Girls were hard to handle at times like this.

Ponyboy turned and headed up the little walkway leading to his front porch, shifting his bag on his shoulder. Soda sat there on the stairs, and had obviously been waiting for Ponyboy to get home. When he heard the gate open he looked over and stood, brushing off his jeans.

"Hey, Soda-"

"So what did she say? Is she angry?" Soda had completely cut into Ponyboy's greeting, but that was to be expected, thought Pony.

"I don't know. She wasn't there." He shrugged.  
"... she wasn't?" Soda blinked. "She wasn't at school? Why?"

"How am I supposed to know something like that? She just wasn't. Maybe _you_ should go to her house and see why yourself." Pony passed Soda and headed inside, then stopped. "And you can give her these." He handed Soda a few papers with Ronnie's name printed at the top. "They're for school."

Soda nodded eventually and folded them up. Ronnie wasn't the type to miss school on purpose, so it made him worried. Plus, he supposed that asking Pony to play messenger for him was pretty stupid and cowardly. He had to take care of this himself.

~X~X~X~X~

After Ronnie had cleaned up her face and took a shower, she had flopped back down on the couch and curled up under the blanket again. A few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt. She could always say that she thought tomorrow was the first day of school anyway, it couldn't be the worst excuse. Some kids have probably made the same mistake once or twice.

Just as Ronnie began to drift off, she heard a pounding. But dismissed it because the neighborhood kids were always doing _something_ noisy. She didn't want to find out what they could be doing now. She didn't actually sit up to look around until the noise had continued for a while. And then she realized. Someone was pounding on her _door. _She knew only one person who knocked that annoyingly; Two-Bit. But what would he be doing here?

Ronnie got up and headed for the door. She didn't even think to look out the window to see if it was actually Two-Bit and not someone else. And when she swung open the door, she froze.

It was Soda.

"... Sodapop...?" Ronnie couldn't believe he was here, and she felt just a little happy, but sad also. Had he come to explain? She didn't really want one. It might hurt even more than just the rejection.

"... Ronnie... I ..."

Soda paused and then took a breath to prepare himself for what he would say next.


End file.
